Changing perceptions and creating opportunities are objectives at the heart of The Tianar Models, an organisation created by Robertinah Nzula, a Kenyan entrepreneur on a mission to make a difference to the lives of others. She is not only changing an industry sector for the better, but she is empowering young people to follow their unique career and life paths.
Read moreMany women entrepreneurs in Africa are inspired to create businesses as a way of not only fulfilling personal ambitions and goals, but also of creating solutions or products that can help others. Binti Naturals is one such company that is looking to make its mark on the African beauty scene and provide natural beauty solutions for women who want an organic alternative.
Read more"There is power in having a vision, but it has to be articulated and be made a reality."
- Khanyi Dhlomo is the founder and Managing Director of Ndalo Media, which she founded in 2007. She is also the founder of DestinyConnect and the founding editor of Destiny Magazine. Before starting her own media company, Khanyi was editor of True Love magazine for eight years. In 2013, Khanyi ventured in retail and launched Luminance, a high-end fashion and lifestyle department store. Khanyi was named most influential woman in South African Media by The Media Magazine in 2003 and made the 2011 Forbes list of 20 Young Power Women in Africa.
Read morePublished on Jul 19, 2016 --- Gathering leaders from business, civil society, Government, the UN and academia, the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit highlighted how the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a tremendous market opportunity for business and other stakeholders to innovate, invest and collaborate to create a more sustainable future for all. In this video is Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu the Founder and Executive Director of soleRebels.
Read more"The most crucial lesson I have learned as an entrepreneur is that you must have a never-say-die attitude."
- Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is founder and Managing Director of soleRebels, the world's fastest-growing African footwear brand and the only Fair Trade-certified footwear company in the world. Growing up in a poor suburb of Addis Ababa, Bethlehem decided that there was only one way to defeat poverty – use local craftsmanship to make products that can compete in the global marketplace. She decided on footwear and today 70,000 pairs of shoes leave her factory every year. soleRebels has been expanding rapidly and today exports to no fewer than 45 countries and is targeting 50 stand alone soleRebels retail stores across the United States by 2018 and 500 worldwide by 2022.
Read moreMany women in Africa struggle to find well made, proper fitting, beautiful lingerie that has been specifically designed and crafted for larger bust sizes. But now, one Kenyan company is providing a solution in the country. Double Dee's is designing and retailing a beautiful new range of lingerie for women with larger breasts, and as a result, making a name for itself in the marketplace.
Read moreYour business is stuck, bogged down, cannot move forward... That’s when many of my clients come to me, so this week we’re going to look at how a de-coupling strategy can help some ventures to move forward.
Read moreStarting your own business is one of the most empowering things you’ll ever do, especially if you’re a woman. It’s also one of the most challenging. This is something that author and entrepreneur Melina Druga knows only too well. Her new book, Enterprising Women: A Practical Guide to Starting Your First Business aims to help aspirant women entrepreneurs to overcome some of the initial hurdles and challenges that can prove the hardest in the early months and years.
Read moreEvery fashion designer dreams of one day having their designs worn by the stars and photographed at red-carpet events, and for Johannesburg-based clothing brand builder, that dream is already starting to come true. Kendi Sapepa may be in the early days of creating a brand to be reckoned with, but already her designs have graced the red carpet of the prestigious SAFTAs, the South African Fashion and Television Awards. This is a brand to watch in the future.
Read more"The truth is, for every stereotype of corruption or extremism you hear of, there are a million motivated and driven Nigerians who add value and impact positively in and out of Nigeria."
- Deola Sagoe, leading lady of African fashion, is a haute couture fashion designer from Ondo State in Nigeria. Deola has been at the cutting edge of high fashion since 1989 and became the first black woman to present a collection at AltaRoma, Rome’s celebrated fashion week, back in 2004. Her "globally appealing" style has earned her an enviable clientèle that ranges from Africa's first ladies, to society girls like Lydia Hearst, top model Alek Wek, and famous personalities such as Oprah Winfrey.
Read more“In my experience women and men suffer the same experience; the only difference is that women have more responsibilities. As a player in the business world, you are still expected to be a mother, wife and homemaker. That increases the number of things you are responsible for. Men in our African culture, all they do is business and everything else at home is taken care of.”
- Njeri Rionge is one of Africa’s leading entrepreneurs and one of the very few women pioneers in the ICT sector on the African continent. This serial entrepreneur founded numerous companies including co-founding the internet service provider Wananchi Online, one of east Africa’s leading providers of pay-tv, broadband internet and VoIP services. Today she splits her time between strategy consulting, speaking engagements, and investment work, either personally or through one of her portfolio businesses. Her focus is on working with SMEs and entrepreneurs to grow indigenous businesses that can be scaled across Africa.
Read moreThe environmental issues confronting Africa today are well documented. The issue is pressing, but where will the solutions come from? In Africa, many of the innovations to solve Africa's most pressing environmental problems are emerging from women. Specifically, from young women entrepreneurs who are successfully linking sustainable business to environmental consciousness and concern for societal well-being. This is the basis for a new wave of women-led ecopreneurship taking root in Africa, resulting in a new generation of women-led startups with environmental consciousness at their core.
Read moreMany women entrepreneurs in Africa are inspired to start their businesses because of a personal passion, and in the case of Kenyan entrepreneur Shikha Vincent, her jewellery design company SHIKHAZURI, was motivated by just such passions. Her fascination with ethnic and tribal jewellery from across the African continent, combined with her desire to support wildlife conservation in her country, resulted in the creation of a jewellery brand with a strong backstory and purpose which is resonating with customers at home and abroad.
Read more"African entrepreneurs must be the alternative government and take up the task of human capacity development....We must see our staff, not just as resources for the business, but as human beings whose potentials we are to discover, develop, and deploy."
- Olajumoke Adenowo, founder of AD Consulting, is a Nigerian Architect, Speaker, Radio Host, Philantropist and Author. CNN has described her as “Africa’s Starchitect”. She has been featured in the World’s foremost Architectural Journal; Architectural Record and has spoken on several platforms including the Global Women’s Forum and Harvard Business School (African Business Club). Olajumoke also hosts a Syndicated Radio show on Leadership called “Voice of Change”.
Read moreAny successful business knows the importance of strong marketing campaigns to get key messages to customers and connect them to brands and services. One Kenyan company, Round Square Marketing Limited, founded by entrepreneur Fidelis Wanjiku, is demonstrating a powerful track record in creating campaigns and solutions that delivers to its clients.
Read moreLast year, when President Barack Obama and the United States partnered with the Government of Kenya to host the sixth annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit, it marked a new global interest in the country and its inspirational entrepreneurs. The event had an overarching focus on generating new investments in entrepreneurs in the country, particularly women and young entrepreneurs.
Read moreEthiopian entrepreneur Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu addressed the 2016 UN Global Compact Leaders Summit at the United Nations headquarters in New York last month, invited to speak in a session aimed at highlighting those global game-changers who have demonstrated their ability to change mindsets.
Read moreIf you ever wondered why so many women entrepreneurs encounter the same challenges and keep making the same mistakes that ultimately hold them back, then author, entrepreneur and self-styled ‘socialprenista, Andrieka J. Austin may have the answer. Her new book Secrets of A Socialprenista: The Pink Print - Top 8 Mistakes Women Entrepreneurs Make That Keep Them Broke, Stuck, and Struggling in Their Business, is the woman entrepreneur’s guide to the most important key for getting things done.
Read moreA love of traditional beadwork, combined with a passion for creating unique colourful and eye-catching pieces, led South African entrepreneur Yvonne Manyiki to startup her company Dimzique Enterprise, and tap into the market for affordable yet elegant costume jewellery. The country’s markets and festivals provide a wealth of customers who appreciate her fine beadwork and her wonderful creative eye for design.
Read more The Seedstars World Competition is coming to Mozambique and the women startup entrepreneurs of Maputo are invited to apply to pitch their startup businesses at this exciting event. The deadline for applications for women entrepreneurs in Maputo has been extended to Sunday 10th July at 12pm - so get those applications in now!
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